Does John Kerry have a platform? The only thing that I remember him promising is the creation 10 million new jobs (even though our unemployment level is less than that). He's not even touting that any more now that the economy is doing better. It seems as if his only platform is to be anti-Bush. Remember the last time we voted for someone just because we wanted someone, anyone, other than the incumbent in office?

Here is what John Kerry's campaign platform seems to be:
Vote for me because I was in Vietnam.
Vote for me because I am not George W. Bush.
Vote for me because everyone hates the Bush administration.
Vote for me because I threw my medals.
Vote for me because I care about women's rights more than Bush does.
Vote for me because Bush is not good.
Vote for me because the economy is in shambles.
Vote for me because Bush did the wrong thing in attacking Iraq.
Vote for me because Bush sucks.
Vote for me because Bush is bad.
Vote for me because the current administration lied to you
Vote for me because my ads aren't negative.
Vote for me because my ads are positive.
Vote for me because I don't lie.

Of the above reasons to vote for John Kerry, I can see two that are not untrue. Here are some quotes from Kerry's campaign website:

"In case after case, President Bush's actions have made American women less safe and less secure - on the job and on the streets. As president, I will put American government and our legal system back on the side of women."

When the hell did Bush do anything that made women "less safe and less secure"?

I absolutely love this; here is his "detailed" plan on what to do with the Iraq situation:

Level with the American People.
Supply Our Military Commanders with the Additional Troops Requested.
Launch a Diplomatic Strategy that will Work.
Establish An International Mission to Ensure Stability and Set up Elections.
Transform U.S. Force into a NATO Security Force Commanded by an American, and Bring in Other Countries.

That sounds real good, John. The problem is that it only sounds good. That plan means absolutely NOTHING to me if you don't tell me how you plan on doing that. If that's a detailed, "comprehensive strategy to win the peace in Iraq while reducing the costs and risks to the United States", then I think you're in trouble.
- posted by Ryan @ 7:37 AM
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Wednesday, April 28, 2004

Nuclear Black Market -

North Korea is now thought to have 8 nuclear weapons. The figure is based in part by a detailed analysis of plutonium byproducts found on the clothing of visitors of a North Korean nuclear facilities. There are also reasons to believe that other nations are pursuing nuclear technology and acquiring these weapons though the black market.

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Abdul Qadeer Kham, the father of Pakistan's nuclear program, set up an underground network that supplied nuclear technology to Iran, Lybia and North Korea. In February, he admitted being the mastermind of the scheme and was pardoned by Pakistan's president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf.

"There's more out there than we can discuss publicly," [Undersecretary of State John R. Bolton] told reporters, "and it's one of the reasons why the depth of our concern about the international black market in weapons of mass destruction and related materials is as substantial as it is."

We know a guy with land just outside of Milwaukee who has agreed to let us use it for airsoft skirmishes. Sunday was our first big group outing to the field to build some initial structures and general cleanup.

If you're not up on what airsoft is, I'll attempt to explain: airsoft is similar to paintball, but with many more realistic qualities. Instead of the .68 cal paint-filled balls that paintball markers fire, airsoft rifles eject 6mm eco-friendly plastic bbs at an astounding rate of fire (sometimes up to 25 shots/second). Range and accuracy is greatly improved as is payload. It is much cheaper than paintball and is definitely less messy. In fact, it is superior in nearly all aspects.

Anywhoo, the field is superb. We spent all day digging and chopping and nailing. I'll see if I can post some pictures of the field soon. It's insanely huge- probably over 300 yards long and relatively clear of low trees and underbrush.

We brought our rifles to sight in (the real reason was probably in hopes of there being enough time for a quick skirmish) and the P90 was outstanding. I advise anyone getting into the sport to purchase one of these. I offered the gun to D, but she turned it down. She's got some sort of phobia of guns- yes, she's one of those liberals who don't know any better. I used to be one. It's really interesting when I question her about her beliefs- she hasn't really given many political and moral issues very much thought. She once told me she wasn't going to vote for Bush. After questioning her reasoning she replied "I don't know". Oh, ignorance is bliss. But I digress...

We don't really have much work left on the field- maybe a few nut-rippers to pull out. I can't wait for our first skirmish!
- posted by Ryan @ 12:14 PM
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Monday, April 26, 2004

Everything He Says Is Right -

Alright folks, I'm blogging again and It's great. Alot has happened since I've been gone so I've got a bit of catching up to do.

Sean at Everything I Know Is Wrong is, in my mind, rarely, if not never, wrong. [I think I just wore out my comma key] Here are a few recent posts that I thought were excellent:

In this short post, he illustrates the right-wing point of view on John Kerry's untruths. I urge you to click on his link and watch the video.
Here he lists Kerryisms- a humorous look at John Kerry's quotes (only humorous due to their contradictory nature).

His website is one of my favorites and I really enjoy reading his posts.
- posted by Ryan @ 12:31 PM
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Monday, April 12, 2004

Post-Vacation Scratchpad -

-Wow, it's been over a week now since I last posted. There have been a few reasons for this, but the main reason is that I was on vacation all last week. Not that I went anywhere or did anything -I had some quality alone time with my couch. I haven't posted also partly because I've been sick of politics and It was very nice to get away from all of the hubbub.

-In true Vegas fashion, a British man bet everything, and I mean everything he owned, on one spin at the roulette table this weekend. The event will be turned into a British reality show on Sky One Television. Those wacky Brits!
Since reading this article, I heard that the guy won and doubled his money. I can't, however, ind an article proving this. If it were me, I would have bet smarter and spread the money out a bit more- or hell, throw it all on 24!

-D and I are getting along very well. I can't stop thinking about her...

-The Brewers still suck.

-Saw "LadyKillers" last week. Weird. Very weird. I think I laughed a few times.

-Easter was pretty good. I'm still full.

-I'm going to the Magic Regionals tournament in Chicago at the beginning of next month. Wish me luck!